Last week my colleague Jayne Easson and I accompanied 12 S4 pupils to the annual Outdoor Education Challenge. This year it had a watersports theme with the pupils (and staff) getting a taster of Kayaking, Canoeing and Sailing. The pupils have a brilliant time trying out the various activities and I particularly enjoyed sailing the Lazer picos although it was a bit scary in the gusts!

The event finished with a rather chaotic race to retrieve a ball. I am very pleased to report that the Knox Academy team won the trophy.

Last night 6 of us completed the Jog Scotland 5k run around Inverleith Park and the Botanic Gardens. For me this was the culmination of 6 months of running in which I started unable to run continuously for more than 3o seconds. It was a huge personal challenge but I am very glad to have completed in a time of 48 minutes.

Massive thanks must go to Jayne Easson for her commitment and enthusiasm to helping her colleagues become fitter and healthier. Also I must thank Hazel Gilfillan of Kings Meadow Primary, who kept spirits high throughout the course and kept to her word that we would start and finish together!

Today saw the annual Alloa Half Marathon. The event has always been of interest to me, as growing up I lived in the street next to the start and finish line which is at Lornshill Academy. This year my colleague and our staff jogging group leader, Jayne Easson, took part in her third Alloa race. Jayne finished in 1 hour 48 minutes which was a fantastic time. She is pictured above (middle) with Sarah and Monise. Huge well done to Jayne, and everyone who took part in the gruelling 13.1 miles route!

Yesterday  saw the Sports Relief mile at Knox Academy. The event was organised by the S6 charities committee. At lunchtime a good number of staff and pupils took to the field wearing their red and white Sports Relief socks to run the two laps. After school, some memebrs of the staff running group ran along the river Tyne again showing off our new socks.

Well done to the Charities Committee for organising the event and to all that took part.

Yesterday I met with Colonel J Wilson who is head of the TA is Scotland. He was at Knox to interview both myself and Riki Byers as part of our commissioning process as adult instructors. Colonel Wilson was very friendly and we discussed the ways in which I can use my position as a teacher to promote the CCF at Knox. We also explored the values of the CCF and what I can offer as a commissioned officer. At the end of the session Colonel Wilson addressed the pupils on parade and indicated that he was pleased with my interview and that I can continue with the process.

This week my S4 classes have been studying how all German people were affected by the Nazi regime under Hitler. We have looked at verious groups of people in society from women to workers and from Christians to the Jewish. Yesterday we were looking at the young people both in schools and in the Hitler youth.

I found a fantastic PowerPoint on School History which I used as a basis for some very successful lessons. Firstly, I asked my head of department as well as another two colleagues to enter my room at the start of the period. Meanwhile, the pupils were arriving outside my door. They could hear lots of shouting from inside the room as we were pretending that we had a technology problem delaying our big announcment which was to be given to every school child in Scotland at exactly the same time. By the time the pupils were allowed to enter they really believed something was very wrong. I have never seen the classes so quiet!

I then talked through the PowerPoint which outlined how the Scottish Curriculum was going to be changed. This included seperate subjects for boys and girls, the abolition of subjects such as RME, Modern Languages and History. Of course, these were to be replaced with Scottish Heritage, more PE for boys and Domestic Science for girls. There were many moans and groans, especially when I told them that as of Monday school would start at 8am!

I was so surprised that only one pupil out of my two classes did not believe it to be true. Only when I told them that their noses would be measured did they realise that I was ‘winding them up’.

Nonetheless, when I informed them that I had in fact been ‘winding them up’ everyone of them knew that the reason behind the lesson was to show them what it would have been like for children in Germany, and it really made them think about how those childrem must have felt.

For the rest of the day yeserday and today I have had comments from other members of staff and pupils about ‘that’ lesson. One thing is for sure, they may never forgive me for scaring them but they won’t forget what happened to young people in Nazi Germany!!

My S4 classes are currently working through unit 3D of the Standard Grade Course. The course requires them to study events inside Germany from the end of World War One until Hitler is in power including his dictatorship. Kath Anderson, a colleague of mine at Knox Academy has very kindly allowed me to borrow her Hitler, the Rise of evil DVD. Robert Carlyle is excellent in the title role and brings to life the events in Germany. The pupils are really relating to the film and I highly recommend it to anyone teaching this unit.

Well I can fully sympathise with Don Ledingham when he wrote this post last week. This week has definitely felt much more like a marathon than a sprint.  From parent’s nights to running clubs, from pilates to Zambia expedition training, the earliest I have got home this week has been 7pm. From 5.30am that is some long days!  Nonetheless,  this week I have had so many instances when I have thought, ‘I love being a teacher!’

Monday began the countdown to the S5/6 prelims. I currently have a Higher History class so this week we focussed on revision, revision, revision. We started the week by looking at the British topic which is assessed by essays. Each pupil was asked to plan out some answers for questions out of past papers. I also reminded them that questions can be worded differently and they must answer the question they have been asked, not the question they would like it to be. The second part of the week was spent revising our cold war topic. We again practised past paper questions and made timelines and mindmaps.

Good luck to all pupils sitting prelims over the next two weeks.

Well I am doing ok. I managed to get to band practice last night and went a run (in my case a walk) with the Knox staff running club tonight. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Jayne Easson for being so very patient and understanding and to my other colleagues for their encouragement as I lost all feeling from the knees down and my feet began to bleed!

Mental note to ones self: must buy bigger trainers for next week!

I am not a fan of making new years resolutions, mainly because I can never seem to stick to them. However, this year I am quite determined. So what better way to ensure that I keep my promises to myself than making them public!

Recently I have found very little time to do much exercise or keep up with my hobbies. This is mainly due to my, on average, 3 hour daily commute. So this year I am determined to try to keep fit and get back into my music. I have done a fair bit of reading and it seems that the reason that my energy levels are always so low is because I don’t do enough exercise to feel energised.

So… Tonight, armed with my dog, Kali, we set out for a power walk. I have to say that indeed I feel less tired already and Kali really appreciated the extra walk.

I am also going to join a few of my colleagues from Knox under the instruction of Jayne Easson PT Guidance on a weekly jog. I shall keep you updated on how I get on with that!!

And I intend on making it to band practice at least once a week too.

 Here’s to a new me.

Kali likes to read blogs!